Automatic cap liner inserting machine



FIG. 1

y 4, 1967 K. D. SCHWEERS 3,328,373

AUTOMATIC CAP LINER INSERTING MACHINE Filed Aug. 25. 1964 6 Sheets-Sheet l Q 6161mm Lege'e'e'e e INVENTOR. KARL D. SCHWEE RS ATTORNEYS July 4, 1967 KQD. SCHWEERS- AUTOMATIC CAP LINER INSERTING MACHINE v 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 25. 1964 INVENTOR.

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ATTORNEYS July 4, 1967 K. D. SCHWEERS 3,323,373

AUTOMATIC CAP LINER INSERTING MACHINE Filed Aug. 25, 1964 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 3

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AUTOMATIC CAP LINER INSERTING MACHINE Filed Aug. 25, 1964 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 HR (3%] l3 FIG. -4

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ATTORNEYS July 4, 1967 Filed Aug. 25,

I K. D. SCHWEERS AUTO?ATIC CAP LINER INSERTING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet FIG. 5

United States Patent 3,328,873 AUTOMATIC CAP LINER INSERTING MACHINE Karl D. Schweers, Silver Spring, Md., assignor, by mesne assignments, to GBL Corporation, Washington, D.C., a corporation of Maryland Filed Aug. 25, 1964, Ser. No. 391,970 Claims. (Cl. 29-208) The present invention relates to apparatus for assembling container closures and more particularly to apparatus for automatically inserting sealing liners in removable cap type container closures.

In the assembly of the well-known type container caps having an inserted sealing liner, it has been customary production practice to insert the liners either manually or with simple manually operated presses. Although such manually assembled caps are generally of good quality, production rates are low and costs are high. On the other hand, previous efforts to automate this production assembly operation have generally met with failure in that the percentage of damaged or improperly assembled caps has been unacceptably high.

It is a principal object of the present invention to pro vide apparatus which will not only continuously and automatically insert sealing liners in container caps at a very high rate of speed but will also continuously and automatically inspect various stages of the assembly operation and reject all caps that are either broken or have missing or improperly positioned liners or reject all liners where caps are missing.

Various features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a simplified plan view of the automatic cap assembly apparatus provided by the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional plan view of a single liner inserting turret shown in FIGS. 1 and 3;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the turret assembly illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a lower sectional plan view of the turret assembly illustrated in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a planar elevation view of the turret assembly shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the cam-actuated reject valve switch control shown in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 7 is a simplified schematic diagram of the vacuum operated cap-liner assembly checking apparatus provided by the invention.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown in plan view a pair of cap liner inserting machines 10L and 10R operating cooperatively with vibratory cap feeder 11 supplying oriented caps 13 (open side up) to each machine via feeder rails 11L and 11R. Compliant liners 14 are sup .plied by vibratory feeder 12 via feeder rails 12L and 12R to the inserting machines 10L and 10R respectively. As shown, the inserting machines 10L and 10R advantageously rotate in counterclockwise and clockwise directions respectively. The machines are otherwise identical and for purposes of explanatory simplification, only the operation of machine 10R will be described hereinafter.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in sectional drawings FIGS. 2-5, a continuously rotating eight station turret rotatively supported on vertical spindle 21 is provided. Spindle 21 is rigidly supported to the machine base frame by clamp 22, and turret 20 is rotatably driven on spindle 21 by motor 23, drive chain 24 and sprocket gears 25 and 26.

The hub of turret 20 supported by bearings 28 and 28A comprises eight separate and identical turret head arms 20A, each of which individually supports for vertical re- 3,328,873 Patented July 4, 1967 ciprocation a liner inserting ram 30. Each of the rams 30 is slidably supported for free up and down movement within bearings 35 and 35A at the end of a given turret arm 20A. As shown, each ram is cylindrical in shape, having a central bore 36 communicating between the end of the ram head through portholes 36P, horizontal bore 37H in arm 20A, vertical bore 37V, and finally through a commutator valve distributor 38 to vacuum line '39A-B- C. Each ram is maintained in a fixed orientation with respect to the peripheral edge of compound cam 48 by antirotation rod 49 which is also slidably supported for free up and down movement in a separate vertical bore adjacent to bearings 35.

Rotor plate 45 is securely attached to turret 20 by machine screws 46 as illustrated, and the entire turret and rotor base assembly is rotatably supported on spindle 21 as described above. In operation, the entire rotor head assembly is continuously driven in rotation with respect to the table surface 47 and upper cam plate 48 which is fixedly secured to the threaded top end of spindle 21 by nut 53. Compound'cam plate 48 defines at its outer peripheral edges a plurality of cam surfaces which are adapted to drive each of the respective rams 30 in vertical reciprocation through contact with cam followers 54. Cam plate 48 also supports a protective top cover 60 and the commutator valve distributor 38. Distributor 38 is loaded by spring 61 against bearing '62, and the entire distributing valve 38 is secured to 48 by pin 63, the upper threaded end of which passes through a slotted hole in 48 and which is clamped to 48 by nut 65. As will be explained in further detail below, the distributing angle of valve 38 may be adjusted over a limited range by loosening =65 and rotating 38 to the desired angle of distribution.

Referring to the ram head 30, it will be noted that vacuum supply line 39ABC is always connected to the central bore 36 in head 30 so long as distributing valve '38 is in an open position for a given head. Thus, bore 36 in a given head is always connected to line 37 because the outer diameter of ram 30 is reduced at 66 thereby providing a clearance passage between 66 and 35A.

As shown in FIG. 3, the head 36H is preferably detachable by loosening set screw 368 so that a variety of differently shaped heads may be mounted in the rams 30 to match the contours of variously shaped liners and variously shaped caps. For purposes of explaining the present invention, head 36H is illustrated as having a central end nipple 36N shaped to fit and be received by a central dimple in a compliant plastic liner 14 (see FIG. 3). Central nipple 36N defines the terminal end of bore 36. When the vacuum line is connected to bore 36, liner 14 is securely held against the nipple end of head 36H.

In operation, the entire turret head assembly including rotor plate 45 is driven continuously past chute 11R and each of the nests 70 is loaded with a container cap 13 preoriented with the open end up. The terminal delivery end of chute 11R is preferably equipped with a curved spring loaded finger 72 as illustrated so that improperly loaded container caps will be positively urged inwardly to a proper seating position as illustarted in nest 70A (see FIG. 4).

Operation of the liner insertion operation performed by each of the individual rams 30 will now be described with reference to the simplified sectional view of FIG. 5. Prior to the arrival at liner delivery chute 12R, ram 30A is maintained in an elevated position by cam follower 54A which rides on the flat top surface of 48. At the elevated position, the head of 30A is high enough to clear delivery track 12R and the liners 14 supported thereon. At Station B, cam follower 54 is dropped to a lower cam surface 75 and at this level, the head of ram 30B is brought into contact with a pre-oriented liner on track 12R as the liner is moved by head 308 along the flat upper surface of track 12R towards the terminal end of that track. Before the head of ram 303 leaves the terminal end of track 12R, however, bore 36 on ram 30B is connected to a vacuum source by slot 80 in distributor valve 38 (see FIG. 4). Thus liner 14 is removed from track 12R by the suction action of the vacuum pickup head on ram 30B and is advanced along with the cap in 70B to Station C where it is inserted therein as illustrated. Ram 300 at Station C is driven downwardly by the undersurface 78 of cam member 79 which is secured to the peripheral edge of plate 48. In passing under cam surface 78, roller 54 forcefully drives liner 14 into its seated position in cap 13 as shown in sectional view at Station D. Cam 79 preferably includes an adjustable spring-loaded insert member 80 which defines the maximum down-drive position for each of the liner-inserting rams.

Following the insertion of liner 14 in cap 13 at Station D, ram 30 is elevated and the head end is removed from the liner and cap by the operation of cam follower 54 riding on the upwardly inclined cam surface 85.

Thus it will be seen that each of the respective ram heads in traveling through stations A-E picks up a liner, inserts the liner in a cap that has been delivered open side up to a retaining nest 70 immediately below each associated ram and is then elevated back to a normal up position ready for a repeat liner insertion operation.

In accordance with one featured aspect of the present invention, vacuum control sensing apparatus is provided to detect malfunction in the liner insertion ope-ration. The operation of this aspect of the invention is best described by referring initially to FIGS. 4 and 7. As illustrated in FIG. 7, vacuum source 100. is connected to valve slots 80, 80' and 80" in distributing valve 38 via lines 39A, 39B and 39C. In operation, each of the individual ram heads is periodically connected to a vacuum supply source as duct 37 passes under each of the respective slots 80, 80' and 80". Each of the lines 39A, 39B and 39C is preferably connected to vacuum source 100 through isolation valves 105A, 105B and 105C. A cap eject nozzle 110, an assembly eject nozzle 111 and a reject nozzle 112 are energized by compressed air source 113 via control valves 115, 116 and 117 respectively. Control valve 115 is actuated by vacuum sensor 125 which is connected to line 39A. Sensor 125 may be any one of a variety of well-known conventional type pressure sensing devices. In operation, sensor 125 is arranged to open valve 115 when the pressure in line 39A exceeds a pre-determined value. Thus, when the head of ram 30 that is connected to valve slot 80 is closed by the presence of a liner 14 for example, the vacuum in line 39A is maintained and valve 115 is not actuated. Whenever a liner is missing, however, pressure in line 39A increases because the pickup head is exposed to atmospheric pressure and valve 115 is actuated connecting the compressed air source to cap-eject nozzle 110. Accordingly, when a liner 14 is missed by a pickup head in its passage over track 12R, eject-nozzle 110 is energized and the container cap 13 disposed in the nest immediately below the empty head is blown out of the nest into a reject bin, thus precluding the delivery of an empty unlined cap to the final assembly station. If the liner is present throughout the application of vacuum to any one of the given ram heads as it passes under the valve slot 80, the vacuum is maintained and the cap disposed in the nest immediately below that head is retained in its nest. As described above, the liner is then inserted in the cap with the vacuum being supplied to the head by line 39B and valve slot 80' during the seating or inserting operation.

Seating of the liner is checked during the initial period of elevation of a given ram head by cam surface 85. During this lifting interval, vacuum is supplied to the ram pickup head (associated with the assembly operation to be checked) by supply line 39C and valve slot 80". If the line-r in question has been properly seated, the cap and liner will be lifted together until the edges of the cap 14 are restrained from further upward movement by retaining lips (see FIG. 5). The vacuum seal between the pickup head and the properly inserted liner is thereby broken and the pressure in line 39C is immediately increased. This increase in pressure in 39C is detected by vacuum sensor 126 which opens valve 116 and supplies compressed air to assembly eject nozzle 111.

If, on the other hand, a liner was not properly seated in cap 14, the vacuum would be maintained in line 39C by the liner which would remain in contact with the ram head as it is lifted by cam surface 85. Under these circumstances, assembly eject nozzle 111 would not be energized and the unseated liner would be carried by a ram head beyond assembly eject nozzle 111 and rejected or blown clear of the nest by reject nozzle 112. Nozzle 112 is energized by valve 117 which is electrically controlled by cam actuated microswitch (see FIGS. 3 and 7). Microswitch 130 is physically clamped to spindle 21 and is actuated by an 8=-position cam 131 that is coupled to and rotates with the entire turret assembly. Accordingly, a jet of compressed air is directed at each nest .as it passes by nozzle 112 thereby assuring that each nest is completely cleared of broken parts, defective caps or defective liners that might have passed through the assembly operation. Thus, each nest is completely cleared before it passes around to receive another cap 13, and malfunction due to piling up of broken caps and the like is prevented.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the apparatus provided by the present invention is capable of efficiently and reliably inserting sealing liners in container caps at a rapid rate and at the sametime, is capable of self-checking each stage of the operation to assure delivery of only caps having properly seated liners.

While a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described and illustrated, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for automatically inserting sealing liners into container caps which apparatus comprises:

(a) continuously rotating turret,

(b) a rotor plate rotatable with the rotating turret and having at least one cap nest adapted to receive a container cap,

(c) a reciprocating liner inserting ram positioned opposite each cap nest,

(d) a ram head containing a bore communicable with a vacuum source adapted to pick up sealing liners,

(e) means for supplying the sealing liners to the ram head,

(f) means for supplying container caps to the cap nests in open orientation with respect to the ram head,

(g) means for establishing and interrupting communication between said bore and vacuum source, and

(h) a compound cam means for reciprocating the liner ram thereby inserting the ram head carrying one of said sealing liners into a container cap and thereafter withdrawing the ram head.

2. An apparatus for automatically inserting sealing liners into container caps in accordance with claim 1 having in addition (1) at least one air nozzle in communication with a compressed air source and adapted to direct a jet of air into a cap nest thereby ejecting its contents, and (2) sensor means actuated by pressure changes in the vacuum lines and operatively controlling the supply of compressed air to the nozzles.

3. An apparatus for automatically inserting sealing liners into container caps and inspecting the assemblies as the caps pass a series of stations, which apparatus comprises: i

(a) a continuously rotating turret,

(b) a rotor plate rotatable with the rotating turret and having at least one cap nest adapted to receive a container cap,

(c) a reciprocating sealing liner inserting ram positioned opposite each cap nest and having a ram 5 head provided with a vacuum means adapted to pick up and retain a sealing liner,

(d) means for supplying the sealing liners to the ram head,

(e) means for supplying the container caps to the 10 cap nests in open orientation with respect to the ram head,

(f) a compound cam means adapted to (1) bring the ram head into contact with a sealing liner at a first station, (2) insert the ram head into a cap nest at a second station, (3) withdraw the ram head at a third station and (4) maintain the ram head in its withdrawn position at a fourth station and until it is rotated again to the first station,

(g) a plurality of vacuum lines in communication with a vacuum source and adapted to communicate with -a ram head at the first, second, and third stations,

(h) compressed air nozzles at the second and third stations adapted to direct a jet of air into a cap nest thereby ejecting its contents,

(i) sensor means adapted to control the air supply to the nozzles at the second and third stations and actuated by an increase in pressure in the vacuum lines when a ram head is at the second and third stations.

4. An apparatus for automatically inserting sealing liners into caps in accordance with claim 3 having in addition a compressed air nozzle at the fourth station.

5. An apparatus for automatically inserting sealing liners into container caps in accordance with claim 4 wherein each cap nest has a retaining collar to prevent the cap from being removed from the nest by the Withdrawal of the ram.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 616,213 12/1898 Tyden 113113 X 2,915,029 12/1959 Hohl et al. 113-80 JOHN F. CAMPBELL, Primary Examiner. THOMAS H. EAGER, Examiner. 

1. AN APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY INSERTING SEALING LINERS INTO CONTAINER CAPS WHICH APPARATUS COMPRISES: (A) CONTINUOUSLY ROTATING TURRENT, (B) A ROTOR PLATE ROTATABLE WITH THE ROTATING TURRENT AND HAVING AT LEAST ONE CAP NEST ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A CONTAINER CAP, (C) A RECIPROCATING LINER INSERTING RAM POSITIONED OPPOSITE EACH CAP NEST, (D) A RAM HEAD CONTAINING A BORE COMMUNICABLE WITH A VACUUM SOURCE ADAPTED TO PICK UP SEALING LINERS, (E) MEANS FOR SUPPLYING THE SEALING LINERS TO THE RAM HEAD, (F) MEANS FOR SUPPLYING CONTAINER CAPS TO THE CAP NESTS IN OPEN ORIENTATION WITH RESPECT TO THE RAM HEAD, 